The present invention relates to an automatic urine disposal device of the type worn by the bedridden elderly, hospitalized patients, physically disabled people, and others who are unable to voluntarily control their bladder or to clean up urine on their own, and it also relates to a urine receptacle to be used therefor.
Because of age, physical disability, hospitalization due to injury or illness, or other physical conditions, people sometimes become unable to voluntarily control their bladder or clean up urine on their own. In those situations, a catheter is directly inserted into the bladder to allow urine to discharge into a receptacle, or a paper diaper is used.
When a catheter is directly inserted into the bladder, the wearer feels great discomfort, and there is also the probability that the urethra or bladder may be injured, and the occurrence of an infection is likely. Thus, expertise as well as special, sterilized utensils are required.
When a paper diaper is worn for a prolonged period of time, on the other hand, urine may leak, the wearer can become uncomfortable, feel stuffy, or experience skin troubles, such as rashes. To avoid this, the paper diaper must be frequently changed, which will impose a considerable physical and mental burden on both the wearer and the caretaker. Imposed on a daily basis, those physical and mental burdens become a big concern and a significant economical burden as well.
To avoid those problems, an approach has been taken in which urine that has been absorbed by a urine absorbent material, which is in the form of a thick liquid-absorbent sheet encased in the main portion of a urine receptacle, is discharged by a vacuum pump and directed to a urine tank.
The vacuum pump absorbs air in a sealed urine tank; and, due to the pressure difference between the tank's pressure and the atmospheric pressure, urine absorbed in the urine absorbent material is drained through the urine drainage tube into the urine tank. Automatic urine disposal devices having such a configuration are disclosed, for instance, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 07-171182 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 11-113946.
In the conventional devices, the urine receiving surface of the urine absorbent material, which is a surface that comes in contact with a wearer's urinating part, is exposed to air. This situation causes air to be absorbed together with urine, which decreases the urine absorbent efficiency of the device. For this reason, the amount of urine which remains in the urine receptacle (urine absorbent material) is large, which makes the wearer feel uncomfortable. To reduce the amount of urine which remains in the urine receptacle, the capacity of the vacuum pump must be increased. Accordingly, it becomes necessary to increase the size and volume of the urine disposal device.
As stated above, in the conventional devices, the amount of urine which remains in the urine receptacle is large, and the reduction of such a volume of urine requires a large and heavy urine disposal device.